a day ago
This Artist-Run Mallorca Hotel Gives the Farm-to-Table Movement Its Flowers
Photo: Laura Prim
Mallorca and the space she's cultivated with von Stein and her team here—all natural light, golden sunsets, and sparkling seas has heavily influenced Bellm's own creative work. It's an evolved aesthetic that's articulated in Bellm's paradisiacal book, La Isla. (Now on its third edition). Other photographers and brands often book the hotel for shoots in the winter. They also host artist residencies, with the creatives making their own additions to the hotel's vibe: L.A. artist Laura Sotowalls's ashtrays are dotted around, the walls are adorned with an eclectic paintings, and hand-painted ceramics are in every room. (Some staff have even received tattoos from visiting artists.) Books and magazines from Lopez and Bellm's own archive—about faith, art, and local flora—decorate the suites' coffee tables.
'There's no stereotype of a person here—we've got the super cool fashion crowd, a family from Hawaii, some bikers who just came upon us,' says Bellm. 'I wanted to create a space for everyone to feel welcome that I wished for the island when I first came. Everyone is able to experience our vision of luxury.' Luxury, defined by Hotel Corazón, means panoramic views instead of wall-mounted TVs, and head chef Eliza Parchanska's flower-adorned, heartfelt cooking, which features produce plucked from Emma Phillips's farm just yards below the kitchen. It's slow morning group yoga and lively guest conversations by the glittering pool, as two donkeys watch on. It's staff that remember your favorite cocktail by the pool, drop extra bread on your table for the last swipes of hummus before you ask, and bring you rare citrus from the garden you've never tasted before. 'The amount of engagements here is unbelievable—and the relationships formed and love stories that happen,' says Bellm. 'It's an aptly named hotel, I think.' ('Corazón' translates to 'heart.') Across dinner on my last evening, there are two birthdays and an anniversary. On my final morning, a couple quietly enjoyed their wedding breakfast.
It's Eliza Parchanska's second season as head chef, collaborating with farmer-in-residence Emma Philips (formerly of L.A.'s Flamingo Estate and Big Sur's Esalen Institute) to use organic produce from the hotel's farm. Their focus is on both cultivating sustainability and its own new culinary traditions—Bellm and I take a walk through the farm, seeing fat tomatoes and juicy peaches, as well as their first ever yield of bananas, and rare varieties of kumquats and buddha's hand citrons, all emerging from rows of trellises and beds Philips and Bellm have worked hard to upkeep. Parchanska says her mission has always been to create a healthy seasonal menu using local products that elevates the hotel's food offering from the rest of the island, blending her Eastern European background with Mallorcan cuisine.
